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How to Draw General Anime Faces
How to Draw General Anime Faces
In this tutorial, I will attempt to go over how to draw general anime
faces, so you can both get a better idea of how anime faces are
1. Eyes
drawn and proportioned, as well as an idea of how use what you
know to create interesting original characters. I've divided this
tutorial up into several sections.
2. Nose and Mouth
If you have any questions, please email me.
All material is copyright by their respective owners.
3. Shape of the Head
If you have any questions, comments, et cetera, please send them
4. Facial Expression
here.
Arigatou gozaimasu!
This site © 1998, 1999 by Julie Dillon. All rights reserved.
5. Hair
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Eyes
Anime Style Eyes
Female Eyes
Step 1:
Lets begin with the most basic and common of anime eyes, the large female type.
Start off by drawing a line that curves upwards, and is slightly thicker at the highest
point. This eye will be on the right side of the face, so make the left end of the curved
line higher than the right. The top of this particular eye (Lina Inverse's eye, (from
Slayers) actually ^.^) isn't a perfect curve; it is slightly angular. Some styles of eyes
are nearly perfectly curved on the top.
Step 2:
Next, you want to draw in the lower part of the eye. To help you place the lower half,
lightly draw diagonal lines pointing down, starting at the edges of the top part of the
eye. The steepness of the slope of these lines will determine how large and wide the
eye will be. If you look at the other tutorials on this page, you will see that the
steepness of these lines varies. Using these lines as a guide, draw the lower part of
the eye. It should slope down to the right a little, and should be thicker at the right
corner.
Step 3:
Erase the guidelines and draw a long oval within the eye. Some characters have large
circles for irises, but this particular one has thin ovals. You can adjust the shape so
it's wider, if you like. Make part of the oval obscured by the upper part of her eye.
With all styles, the complete iris is rarely visible; part of it almost always is
concealed by the border of the eye.
Step 4:
Next, draw the outline of the light glares. Anime characters' eyes should always have
at least some sort of shading. Anime females in particular tend to have really heavy
shading and lots of shiny areas. Make sure you choose a light source, and stick with it
throughout your picture. For example, since the light is coming from the left in this
picture, I have to make sure all the highlights on the rest of the picture originate from
the left, or the lighting will be inconsistent (unless I'm using multiple light sources,
but I won't get into that). Draw two long ovals: a large one on the left side of the iris
(which overlaps the outline of the iris, as you can see), and a very small one on the
other side of the eye.
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Eyes
Step 5:
Next, draw the pupil underneath the light glares. The highlights are always on top;
never draw the pupil on top of the light glares. Draw the eyelashes, too; with this
particular eye, the eyelashes are a series of spikes coming off of the top-right part of
the eye. Make the spikes follow the curve of the eye, so it looks like they are coming
off of the eye; don't just draw zig-zag lines sticking out of her eye. ^_~ Also, draw
the eyelid on the left part of the eye. Its just a thin, curved line originating from the
top of her eye.
Step 6:
Now, shade the rest of the iris. It is very dark at the top, but is lighter near the
bottom. You should still be able to differentiate between the lighter iris and the pupil
after you shade. Draw her eyebrow, as well. Like in the first step, this line should be
slightly curved, and thicker near the top. The edges should be very thin. Smooth out
the lines and darken them, and you are done! :)
Step 1:
Okay, now we are going to draw another style, one that isn't as common.
This eye is much more slender, elegant, and realistic looking, and is used in
more serious anime and manga. This particular eye belongs to Deedlit from
Record of Lodoss War, which is a considerably more serious show than
Slayers (which is where the previous eye came from). Begin by drawing a
long, slightly curved line. The left side should be lower than the right, and
the line should curve in sharply at the left edge.
Step 2:
To help you define the sides and bottom of the eye, lightly draw two
diagonal guidelines that originate from the edges of the eye. Unlike the
previous tutorial, these lines are not very steep; the more horizontal the lines
are, the smaller the eye will be. Don't make them too flat, though, because
you don't want this eye to be too squinty. Using the guidelines, draw the
bottom line of the eye.
Step 3:
Erase the guidelines and draw the outline of the iris. If there were no eyelids,
the iris would be a perfect circle. However, since the iris is bordered by the
eyelids, the top and bottom of the iris will be hidden from view. The iris
should not be so small that you can see the entire thing (unless you wanted to
convey certain emotions like anger or surprise, but that is covered in another
section).
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Eyes
Step 4:
Next, draw the light glares on the iris. The placement is the same as in the
previous tutorial, but like the iris itself, the glares are much smaller and more
circular. Draw the eyelid above the top line of the eye, as well.
Step 5:
Draw the eyebrow and shading in the rest of the iris. Remember to draw the
pupil beneath the light glares, and to make it stand out from the rest of the
eye a little no matter how darkly you shade the rest of the iris.
Here is a variety of other styles of
female eyes you can make using the
same methods. Try to see the
differences between each style, as
well as the similarities. Though the
shape and proportions change, the
top border of the eyes is always
thicker, there are always multiple
layers of shading on the irises, etc.
Some of these were sketched fairly
quickly and are a little messy, but I
hope they are still helpful.
Male Eyes
Step 1:
Next we will draw some male eyes. Male characters are sometimes
neglected by fan artists, because many fan artists have trouble drawing guys.
They really aren't that hard, though, just different. Most male eyes are more
thin and narrow than female eyes, though there are several exceptions. This
particular eye (which I think belongs to Hotohori from Fushigi Yuugi) is
narrower than other female eyes, without being so thin that it looks like it
belongs to a more shady, suspicious character. ^_^ Begin by drawing a thick,
very slightly curved line. Its almost horizontal, but still has a slight curve to
it. The edges should curve inwards a little, more so on the left.
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Eyes
Step 2:
Lightly draw two diagonal lines, starting from the edges of the top line, to
help define the lower part of the eye. The lines are almost perpendicular to
each other. Don't make them too steep or too flat, or the size of the eye will
be off. Draw the lower line of the eye, using the guidelines to help you
position it.
Step 3:
Erase the guidelines and draw the iris. The iris is a perfect circle, but is
paritally covered up by the eyelids. Do not draw the iris so small that you
can see the entire thing (unless trying to convey a strong emotion like
surprise or anger, which is covered in the expressions section).
Step 4:
Male characters have light glares in their eyes, too, though they often are not
as large or obvious. Draw one oval light glare on the left side of the eye, and
a pointed one on the right side.
Step 5:
Draw the pupil benath the light glares and shade heavily, especailly if the
character has darker colored eyes. Draw the eyelid and eyelash. Male
characters tend to have darker, thicker eyebrows, so make sure they aren't
too thin. There, that wasn't too hard, was it? ^_^ Don't worry if the eyes look
too 'girly'; often times its hard to tell if some eyes belong male or female
characters. Some styles of eyes are interchangable and can be used for either
gender.
Step 1:
The slender, narrow eyes are often (but not always) associated with
darker, brooding characters. Villains often have narrower eyes, but not all
characters with such eyes are antagonistic. To draw this style of eye, start
with a long, curved line. Notice that the curve is steeper on the left hand
side than the right.
Step 2:
Next, draw two diagonal guidelines from the edges of the top of the eye.
The angle of these lines are different from the ones in the three previous
tutorials; the left one is much flatter than the the right. Draw in the lower
part of the eye using the guidelines; it should be curved, rather than a
straight line, so that the entire eye is like an elongated, pointy oval.
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Eyes
Step 3:
Erase the guidelines and draw the iris. The iris is covered up by the upper
eyelid; if the eyelids weren't there, the iris would be a perfect circle.
Thicken the lines on the right side of the eye.
Step 4:
Draw the light glares, and the upper eyelid on top of the eye.
Step 5:
Finish up the eye by adding the pupil and shading the iris, and adding the
eyebrow. Smooth and darken your lines, and you're done. ^_^
Here is a collection
of male eyes. Notice
that some could be
mistaken for female
eyes; the difference
between the two
genders isn't always
that distinct,
especially in young
children. Most of the
eyes here are
narrower than the
female eyes, and the
tops of their eyes
aren't as thick. Male
characters don't
always have light
glares on their eyes,
but I tend to draw
them in anyway. ;)
Once you have the right eye drawn, you're probably going to
want to draw the left eye, too. ^_^ All you have to do is draw
the mirror image of the exact same eye. The placement of the
second eye can be tricky, though. Anime eyes, no matter what
style, are always drawn about one eye length apart. The
distance may be a little more or less, but one eye length is a
good measurement.
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Eyes
You probably are not always going to draw your characters
facing towards you, though, so you'll need to know how to
line up eyes at different angles. On the head portion of this
general face tutorial, you will see that I use curved guidelines
to define where I'm going to place the eyes. Always draw
guidelines to help you position the eyes, until you are really
good at it and no longer need them. You don't want the eyes
to be off-center. Notice that in this picture, the right eye is
smaller and flatter than the left since it's further away from
you.
This is pretty much the same thing, except the head is tilted in
the other direction. In this picture, the left eye is smaller than
the right. Both eyes still follow the curve of the face. Eyes
that don't line up properly can look very sloppy, so be careful.
If you have any questions, or think I need to explain something in more detail, please
email me.
This page is created and maintained by Julie Dillon.
All material is copyright by their respective owners.
If you have any questions, comments, et cetera, please send them here.
Arigatou gozaimasu!
This site © 1998, 1999 by Julie Dillon. All rights reserved.
The eyes are one of the most important features of anime style characters; they are the most expressive
parts of the face, and are part of what makes each character different and recognizable. Thus, it is very
important to be able to draw them correctly. In this section of the general face tutorial, I will show you
how to draw a variety of anime style eyes. A lot of other sites only show you how to draw large female
eyes, without really going over the large variety of other styles. In this tutorial, I will cover different types
of male and female anime eyes, plus give you examples of numerous other styles for you to use to help
you draw your own original characters, or to refine your style with existing characters.
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Anime Style Mouths and Noses
Anime Style Mouths and Noses
Anime style noses and mouths are pretty straightforward, so rather than taking you through various styles
step by step, I have several examples for you to use. If you have any questions, let me know. ^_^
Here is your basic anime style nose and mouth. It consists of three
basic simple shapes: a wedge for the nose, a long, thin line for the
mouth, and a shorter line to define the lower lip (this lower line is not
always included, though). In frontal views like this, you can get away
with using very few lines to define the nose and mouth. The size and
shape of each feature varies with each character. Always make sure
the features line up; to help you line them up, draw vertical guidelines
as shown. In the second picture, the face is turned to the side, but the
features are still aligned along the curved guideline that represents the
center of the face.
Drawing the nose and mouth for a profile is more difficult than
drawing them from the front or at a 3/4 view. The main reason for
this is because you can't get away with not defining the lips as much.
^_^ You have to draw them in, rather than using just simple straight
lines. Despite the difficultly, if you get it right, it can look really nice.
The main thing to consider is the curve of the nose, lips, and chin.
The upper lip curves inward, and lower lip (which is slightly receded
on the face) curves outward. It may take some practice before you
can get it to look like the character isn't making a weird face or
puckering their lips or anything like that. ^_~
The lower half of the face consists of a series of contrasting curves.
Notice that how in both pictures, the nose curves in towards the face,
then curves back slightly out right above the upper lip. The upper lip
curves inward, and the lower lip curves outward. The chin is not just
a straight line; it is round and curves outward.
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Anime Style Mouths and Noses
Here is a selection of examples of
different styles of mouths and noses.
Several of these can be used for
either gender, do I didn't bother
separating them. ^_^ Notice that
with some styles, the mouth is
defined by only a thin, straight line,
while with other styles, the lips are
more well defined. Anime mouths
are not often very large, unless the
character is yelling or shouting, so
keep them relatively small. The
noses vary quite a lot, as well; some
are drawn as wedges, some are
defined solely with shading, and
some are detailed enough that you
can see the nostrils. Female
characters will tend to have smaller,
less defined noses, while male
characters will often have longer,
angular noses.
Here are some more examples of
noses and mouths, drawn at a
profile. Even though the proportions
and expressions change, they all
stick to the same basic shape as
mentioned above. When drawing
faces at this angle, be careful not to
make the noses really pointy and the
face too flat. Make sure the features
curve properly, or the face is not
going to turn out looking right.
If you have any questions, or think I need to explain something in more detail, please
email me.
This page is created and maintained by Julie Dillon.
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Anime Style Mouths and Noses
All material is copyright by their respective owners.
If you have any questions, comments, et cetera, please send them here.
Arigatou gozaimasu!
This site © 1998, 1999 by Julie Dillon. All rights reserved.
http://www.animeextreme.com/julie/nosemouth.html (3 of 3) [3/7/2000 13:29:30]
Anime Style Heads
Anime Style Heads
In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to draw basic anime faces from various angles. Though the
faces here are standard anime female faces, the proportions I show you here can be adjusted to fit any sort
of character you could ever wish to draw. ^_^
Front View
Step 1:
Begin by drawing a large circle. Divide this circle horizontally into
thirds, and cut it in half with a vertical line. Do not worry if your
horizontal lines don't split the face into even pieces; the proportions
will be different depending on the style of face you want to draw,
anyway, so its all right if they aren't exact.
Step 2:
Next, draw a little mark (a short line, not a dot) directly beneath the
circle. In this particular picture, the distance from the circle to the
mark is the same as the length of the lower third portion of the
circle. This mark will represent the chin, so make sure it's a short
line rather than a dot or the chin will be too pointy. Raising or
lowering the chin mark is one way to adjust the shape and
appearance of the face. Next, draw two diagonal guidelines. They
should be tangent to the sides of the circle, and intersect the edges of
the chin mark.
Step 3:
Next, you want to flesh out the face so it isn't so thin. Draw two
rounded triangular shapes on each side of the face. Adjusting the
thickness of the triangles and the height of the cheekbones (the place
where the triangle bends) are ways to alter the shape and appearance
of the face and draw different types of characters.
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Anime Style Heads
Step 4:
Now that you have the shape of the face down, you will want to add
the eyes, nose and mouth. The placement of the eyes varies slightly
with each character, but they generally should be located within the
lower half of the circle. The nose is about halfway down the lower
part of the face (the area below the circle), and the mouth is drawn
directly beneath that.
Step 5:
Next, erase those diagonal guidelines and fill in the detail on the
eyes. Now you have the basic shape of the face completed, and you
can add whatever details you like, such as hair, clothing, jewelry,
tattoos, scars, etc.
3/4 view
Step 1:
Begin with a large circle, just like you did with the frontal view,
except now rotate all the guidelines up and to the left. This part of
the head is a three dimensional sphere, so when you rotate it in any
direction, the guidelines should follow the curves of the sphere.
Divide the face up horizontally into thirds, and vertically into
halves. Of course, because of the angle we are drawing this circle at,
the guidelines are not going to divide the shape into equal sections,
but just remember that if you rotated this shape back to a front view,
it should look the same as in the first step of the tutorial for the
frontal view.
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Anime Style Heads
Step 2:
Next, extend the curved vertical guideline down the sphere, and
select a point beneath the sphere to represent the chin. The distance
from the circle to the chin should be a little bit more than the length
of the lower third of the circle. Draw two diagonal guidelines
tangent to the edges of the circle that intersect the chin mark. Make
sure the left guideline is steeper than the right.
Step 3:
To flesh out the face a little more, draw round triangles on the sides
of each of the diagonal guidelines. The left side of the face should
curve out where it touches the circle, and the curve of the right side
should be more gentle and sloping. It may take some practice to get
this to look right.
Step 4:
Next, draw the eyes, nose, and mouth. The eyes are located within
the lower half of the circle. For more information on how the eyes
line up at this angle, go to the anime eye tutorial. All of the features
should line up along the central guideline. Do not let your features
become lopsided! It won't look right, trust me. ;) The nose generally
starts right beneath the eyes, and the mouth right beneath the nose.
Notice, though, that the mouth does not extend to the left of the
nose; at this angle, most of it stays on the right side of the curved
vertical guideline.
Step 5:
Refine the lines a little more, and you have completed drawing the
basic shape of the head at a 3/4 angle. From this point, you can add
whatever details you like, such as hair, jewelry, etc.
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Anime Style Heads
Here are some more heads,
drawn at various angles.
With every single one, I
started with a basic circle
and added the guidelines as
I did in the previous
tutorials (for more info on
drawing heads at a profile,
such as in the picture at the
top left, check out the nose
and mouth turorial. The
proportions for these faces
probably aren't perfect,
because the pictures I used
as examples had
completely different sized
features (a lot of them were
guys... ^.^).
Of course, there are many other types of
characters other than simple anime girls...
^_^ Here is a very small sampling of some
other proportions you can try out. They all
have the same basic shape, except some of
the lines have been lengthened or shortened.
In the top left picture, for example, the lower
half of the face is longer and thinner, the
cheeks are more sharply angled, and the eyes
are narrower. On the top right picture, the
lower half of the face is much smaller and
the eyes are huge. Male faces tend to be
longer and more angular, while female faces
tend to be smaller and more rounded.
Childrens faces, either male or female, are
very small and round.
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Anime Style Heads
If you have any questions, or think I need to explain something in more detail, please
email me.
This page is created and maintained by Julie Dillon.
All material is copyright by their respective owners.
If you have any questions, comments, et cetera, please send them here.
Arigatou gozaimasu!
This site © 1998, 1999 by Julie Dillon. All rights reserved.
http://www.animeextreme.com/julie/head.html (5 of 5) [3/7/2000 13:29:51]
Expressions
Facial Expressions
Changing the expression of an anime character isn't particularly difficult, but it helps to know which
features need to be adjusted for each type of emotion. In this tutorial, I will show you how the various
parts of the face work together to convey different emotions. Once you learn what features to change to
achieve the look you want, you should be able to draw any emotion you like. Please read through my other
facial tutorials, though, since it helps to have a working knowledge of how the features should be aligned
before you begin.
I'm going to start by showing you how to draw a sad face. Mildly happy
characters are found all over my other tutorials, so I'm not going to cover
those here. ;) The major deciding factor of the expression of a character is
the eye. In this picture, the irises are very large, the eyebrows are angled
upwards towards the center of her face, and the lower eyelid has been
curved upwards. Raising the lower eyelid can help to convey a variety of
strong emotions, from happiness to sadness to anger. The size of the
irises can change the expression more than one would think; very large
irises, such as the ones shown here, can make the character seem more
upset, while very small irises (as shown in one of the pictures below) can
put added fury into the eyes of an angry character. Oh, and I didn't draw
them here, but added light glares can also make the character seem more
emotive. The mouth also helps determine the mood of your character. In
this picture, the mouth is kept small and curves downwards. All the
elements put together make this character seem sad, maybe even
somewhat shocked, like someone just hit her with some really bad news
or said something mean... ^_^
This form of sadness is more subdued. The character seems
depressed, but not as sad as the previous example. The eyes are
smaller here (partly because this is a guy ^_^), and the mouth is
larger and does not curve down so far. The angle of the eyebrows
and the arch of the lower eyelid still let you know that this character
is upset about something.
This picture is sort of a transition between sadness and anger. The
eyebrows curve down sharply and his mouth is drawn so it looks like
he is shouting, both of which indicates that he is mad, yet his irises
are still very large. This sort of makes him look like he is angry, yet
hurt or upset at someone or something.
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Expressions
This guy is clearly very ticked off, even though he isn't
shouting. ^_~ You can draw angry people without them
screaming their heads off. In this picture, the eyebrows
are close to the eyes and angle down sharply (I also
drew the folds in the skin caused by drawing ones
eyebrows together like that), and the mouth angles
downwards sharply. The eyes have been narrowed, and
irises are very small, which helps to make a character
look even more angry. ^_^
I'm not sure about this one; he looks both confused and ticked off.
Alternating the angles of the eyebrows like this indicates confusion or
incredulity. To add to the expression, draw the mouth slightly
off-center, as well.
Its surprising how often anime characters talk with their eyes
closed... ^_^ I wonder how many people actually talk like that...?
Anyway, closed eyes can express a variety of emotions. Here, they
express impatience or annoyance, but they can also express
calmness, happiness, or smugness. Flip the eyes around and have
them curve upwards, and they can express extreme sadness, as well
as excitement. For this particular picture, I made the eyebrows angle
downwards and drew the mouth open. Notice how I drew the upper
left lip slightly raised; this helps whatever emotion you are trying to
convey seem more negative, whether you are drawing anger,
unhappiness, or impatience. ^_^
Happiness is one of the most common emotions you see with pictures
of anime characters. Excessive happiness or excitement can be
expressed by large eyes, highly arched eyebrows, and a big smiling
mouth. Other features such as extra shinies in the eyes and the
upward curving of the lower eyelid are also common. On a side note,
more kawaii characters tend to have huge eyes, and small noses and
mouths (unless their mouth is open, as in this picture).
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Expressions
This character is happy, as well, but not to the extent as in the
previous example. The emotion is much more subtle. Notice that
the eyebrows have been lowered (though they still arch slightly)
and the curve of the mouth is very slight. The lower eyelids are
arched, though, and the irises are still pretty large, so though the
characters' contentment is not as obvious, it is still clear he's in a
good mood. ^_^
To express surprise or shock, enlarge the eyes and make the
pupils smaller. This is particularly apparent in anime face faults,
when a character is so suprised that his/her eyes become almost as
large as the rest of the face... ^_^ In this particular example, the
mouth is drawn really small, but other sizes will work too.
This guy isn't particularly exciting, he just looks irritated. The
irises are small, the eyebrows are arched down, and the mouth
is small and slightly off center. I can't think of much else to say
for this one... ^_^
If you have any questions, or think I need to explain something in more detail, please
email me.
This page is created and maintained by Julie Dillon.
All material is copyright by their respective owners.
http://www.animeextreme.com/julie/expressions.html (3 of 4) [3/7/2000 13:30:05]
Expressions
If you have any questions, comments, et cetera, please send them here.
Arigatou gozaimasu!
This site © 1998, 1999 by Julie Dillon. All rights reserved.
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Anime Style Hair
Anime Style Hair
Front View
I have often heard artists tell me about difficulties they've had with drawing anime style hair. In this
section, I will show you some examples of basic hair styles. I know this section is not nearly thorough
enough, but I'm not quite sure what else to do with it. If you have any helpful suggestions, please email
me. ^_^
Okay, lets start with
something simple. Basic
anime hair consists of two
main sections: the bangs in
the front of the face that hang
down over the eyes, and the
larger back portion of the hair
that hangs down around the
shoulders. This hairstyle is
very basic, with big rounded
bangs coming down over the
front of the face, with the rest
of the hair resting where the
shoulders would be. In these
pictures, you can see how the
hair sits on the head; always
make sure that the hair is
large enough for the head to
sit underneath; I've seen some
pictures where the artist drew
the hair too small because
he/she forgot to take into
account the size of the head
beneath the hair... ^_^
There are several variations
you can do with this basic
shape. Changing the length
and position of the bangs and
the shape of the main portion
of the hair can let you
experiment with a variety of
hair styles. In the top left
picture, the hair is very
angular rather than rounded,
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and bangs and main section
are almost indistinguishable.
In the middle picture, the
bangs are large and wavy;
notice how they rise high
above forehead. The rest of
the hair is pulled back in a
ponytail. In the bottom
picture, all the hair is pulled
back behind the head except
for a few long strands of the
bangs, which hang down on
the sides of the face. Anime
characters are well known for
their gravity-defying hair
styles, so its okay if the hair
curves and arches
unnaturally. ^_~
Here are some examples of
hair that has been pulled
back. In all three cases,
though the hair is bunched up
in a ponytail, it is still very
thick. On the top picture, you
can see that the hair goes
down the back of the neck, it
doesn't just stop at the back of
the head. A lot of times
strands of hair stick out or
drape down from over the
ears, so you may want to add
those.
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Braids are another common
problem area. They really
aren't that difficult, though.
You can make them as
detailed or simplistic as you
like. On the left picture, I
drew intersecting inverted
teardrop shapes to represent
the woven strands of hair.
The bottom is tied off, and
frays out slightly. The picture
on the right is just a series of
blunt overlapping diamonds.
Simple, but you can still tell
what it is. ^_^
Here are a few more examples of different hair
styles. Look at other anime pictures on the
internet and study the styles, as well. It takes a
lot of practice to be able to draw the really
detailed flowing hair, so right now practice just
getting the shape of the hair to look right.
If you have any questions, or think I need to explain something in more detail, please
email me.
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This page is created and maintained by Julie Dillon.
All material is copyright by their respective owners.
If you have any questions, comments, et cetera, please send them here.
Arigatou gozaimasu!
This site © 1998, 1999 by Julie Dillon. All rights reserved.
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